After a few years of living well below our means, Girl Ninja and I have managed to save up about $80,000. On average, we spend about $3,500/month. According to my calculator watch, this means we could survive for about two years – at current spending rates – on just our savings. If we cut back on spending just a tad, which we would in the event we both lost our jobs, we could stretch this out to over 2.5 years of expenses. Talk about financial security!
But then there is this pesky thing called a down payment that one must consider when looking to buy a home (don’t worry this isn’t another post about homeownership). For the houses we are looking at, this likely means a down payment of around $70,000. This leaves us with just $10,000 in the bank after we buy a house (note: I’m assuming the seller will pay most, if not all, of our closing costs as part of the purchase agreement).
In the event we both lost our jobs, $10,000 would only sustain us for about three months. That’s a heck of a lot less cushion than the 18+ months we’ve gotten use to having. So what are we gonna do about it?
Absolutely nothing!
First, let’s not forget the $80,000 we have banked is not really our emergency fund. Some of it is, but most of it has always been earmarked as a “future house fund”.
While you might say “Ninja three months of expenses is not enough for an e-fund”, I would say back “You sir are a cotton headed ninny muggins.” $10,000 is plenty for the Ninja household. Here’s why…
The odds of us losing our jobs at the exact same time are quite small. She’s a teacher and hasn’t had an issue substituting or getting a contract position since she graduated college. Even when the San Diego School District was slashing positions left and right, Girl Ninja got a full-time contracted teaching position. Heck, she secured a teaching contract in Washington state three months before she even moved here. Needless to say, the girl is good at what she does.
While it’s possible the federal government workforce could be reduced here in the coming months/years, my position isn’t going anywhere. This isn’t an arrogant statement, it’s just reality. You remember when there were murmurs of a government shutdown a year ago? I got an email from my agency specifically saying our position is considered “mission critical” and I would have to continue working, shutdown or otherwise. What’s more, my performance reviews have always been favorable and I am no longer the youngest agent on the team (well I am the youngest by age, but not by years worked). Government positions are infamous for being pretty darn stable. If we worked in less secure fields we’d definitely consider bumping up our E-fund.
Maybe $10,000 isn’t enough, but I just can’t think of a plausible situation in which we would need access to all of that money in one swoop. Both of our vehicles are fully insured (comprehensive and collision) so they could be stolen, or totaled by an uninsured motorist, and we’re protected. We have renters insurance so if someone breaks in to our house and steals all our stuff, we’re covered. We have awesome healthcare benefits through our employers (Girl Ninja is actually double-covered) and our max out-of-pocket is well below this $10,000 threshold. Life and disability insurance are benefits my work provides. Short of someone kidnapping Mom Ninja and demanding $50,000 ransom, our $10,000 emergency fund should cover all major hiccups (especially if one, or both, of us are still working and brining in money).
Let’s not forget, savings accounts are terrible places to let money sit. They don’t keep up with the rate of inflation, which means you actually LOSE money each year. Why put more in a crappy savings vehicle than necessary? Remember money in a Roth IRA, and/or a taxable investment account, can be accessed in the event of an emergency without penalty.
Heck, if Girl Ninja and I decided tomorrow that we never wanted to buy a home, we would immediately invest the $70,000 we would have put down on a house. WE WOULD NOT KEEP IT IN OUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT ANY LONGER. We only have $80,000 in the bank because we plan on writing a fat check in the next few months.
Stocks and bonds help grow wealth. Savings accounts can’t even maintain wealth 🙁
Sometimes, I think people who have a 12 month emergency fund are silly, but I guess that’s the beautiful thing about personal finance. You do you, and I’ll do me. Chances are we’ll both end up just fine… although my money will at least be keeping up with inflation 😉
Low blow?
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How much do you have in an emergency fund right now (dollars and/or months of expenses covered)? What’s your ultimate E-fund goal? What made you decide that amount (why not more than that)? Has anyone with a 12 month e-fund actually used ALL of that money for an emergency?
p.s. I am not advocating people should keep three months of expenses in the bank and blow the rest, but merely they should consider keeping three months in cash, and investing the rest.
